While summer is usually a dry season for console games, this is another great week for new iOS game releases. Tonight you can download new games from SNK, Playfirst, Chillingo, Tapulous, Ayopa, and even director Kevin Smith– a huge lineup of big names and brands. Plus, Tiny Wings will receive a free update to 2.0, along with a new iPad version. All of these games will be available at 8pm PST on the US App Store, so check out our previews below.

Metal Slug 3

Who could ever pass by one of those Neo Geo arcade cabinets and not stop to watch Metal Slug? This side-scrolling shooter/platformer series was notable for its high-quality graphics and animation, and the bullet hell boss battles that would drain the quarters from your pocket. Metal Slug 3 was previously ported to XBLA and PSN, but tonight you can spend all your quarters at once to download it for iPhones and iPads.

Flo from Diner Dash has finally taken some time off from waiting tables to explore her local main street. Once she steps outside, she’ll have to help her hardworking friends from games like Wedding Dash to solve their business problems. Avenue Flo is a point-and-click style adventure game with puzzles scattered throughout, and it’s fully voice-acted and animated. It’s worth downloading if you like the Diner Dash characters and settings, but want something different from the gameplay.

In the first of two Jay & Silent Bob games launching tonight, you’ll get to fling Silent Bob through the air using a catapult. The game’s title is a reference to Kevin Smith’s embarrassing incident from 2010, where he was booted from a Southwest Airline flight for taking up too much space in the seats. We’ve played plenty of these flight/launch games before, so we’ll have to see if the goofy characters are enough to make it worth a purchase.

The other Jay & Silent Bob game launching tonight is Let Us Dance, an iPad-only rhythm-based game that lets you breakdance in front of the Quick-Stop from the movie Clerks. It’s a free download with no in-app purchase, which makes us think that it’s really just a promotional vehicle for Too Fat To Fly, or maybe it’s hinting at a reboot of the Clerks TV show. This one’s not really worth playing unless you just want to watch the mildly amusing animation.

We had a chance to try this rope-swinging high-score game from Chillingo at E3, and we thought it was a lot of fun. You just press on the screen to fire a grappling hook at a nearby peg, causing your knight to swing around in a circle. Press with another finger, and you’ll switch directions. With just these two moves, you can pick up strings of gems and save a series of princesses. Of course, in-app purchases are available if you want to buy your way to a better score.

A new RPG from publisher Ayopa Games, Pocket Heroes lets you quest online with your friends. Like in Words With Friends, you’ll be able to take turns moving through dungeons, fighting creatures, and scoring loot. The graphics are definitely old-school in the style of games like Final Fantasy, but we’re not sure if gamers will have the patience to crawl through one dungeon over the course of days or weeks.

The Tap Tap series was like Dance Dance Revolution for the iPhone– until Disney bought Tapulous and began releasing highly targeted one-off apps like Justin Bieber Revenge. Tap Tap Revenge Tour is a polished reboot for the series, letting you go on tour in different venues and playing new tracks each week. You’ll receive a daily allowance of in-game currency called guitar picks, which you can use to play each show. For long-time fans of the series, Tap Tap Revenge Tour is definitely worth revisiting.

As usual, December was a great month for iOS gamers, with big games dropping every week (at least until the yearly week-long App Store shutdown over Christmas). But one game in particular blew us away with its moody atmosphere and excellent design, so we had to give it this month’s highest honor. The game is The Room Two. (more…)

Things are heating up as the year comes to a close. November was a fantastic month for iOS gamers, with a huge number of Must Have titles hitting the App Store. So whether you wanted to build a Death Star or run and jump as Mickey Mouse, the App Store had you covered. But there can be only one Game of the Month, and November’s is Oceanhorn by Cornfox & Bros. (more…)

Last week, the first generation of iOS 7 controllers were officially revealed to the world and immediately became available for purchase. First we went hands-on with the Logitech PowerShell, and now we’ve had a chance to extensively test the MOGA Ace Power controller. While the Ace Power has more buttons and joysticks than Logitech’s controller, the flimsy plastic feel, limited battery, and spotty support on the App Store make us question whether it’s really the future of iOS gaming. (more…)

October was another fine month for iOS gamers, with a number of notable titles coming out across a variety of genres. So whether you wanted to kill gorgeously rendered zombies or drive a race car, the App Store had you covered. But there can be only one Game of the Month, and this month it’s Device 6. (more…)

The original Mos Speedrun was one of those nearly perfect games that absolutely nailed exactly what it was going for: creating a super tight platformer that was designed for speedruns. The sequel is coming soon, and this new trailer shows what to expect.